Omake: True Love
by HoneyBear1874
Summary: Something is wrong with Izaya and Chihiro doesn't know what to do. Part of my Izaya/OC series, can be read on it's own.
1. Chapter 1

Namie Yagiri knew what it meant to be truly in love; it was to be selfless, devoted, and to put everything and everyone aside for the sake of her beloved, her brother, her Seiji.

But Mika Harima was ruining everything; she wasn't worthy of Seiji, no other woman was. So she had some plastic surgery; who cares? She tricked Seiji, and she's still manipulating him, stealing him away from the one who truly loved him.

It didn't matter that Namie had lost nearly everything and had to work for a person she loathed; in the end, she had no regrets. She did everything she had for Seiji's benefit and it wasn't like she was powerless.

Namie had her wits, her skills, and even with her business going under, she had connections. No doubt Izaya Orihara might have overlooked this and figured she had nothing, but it wasn't so.

 _"One word from me, one threat, one coercion, and I can have someone's life destroyed."_ Namie thought; her face held no remorse or compassion. _"I have my own resources and even if I didn't It wouldn't matter. As long as I can help Seiji."_

Her heart fluttered, but not long after, it stung; she knew her brother wasn't thinking of her. Truthfully, he wasn't even thinking of his "girlfriend". No, his true love, his own obsession, was trapped in a glass jar, hidden away in her employers other office on the other side of Ikebukuro.

Namie smiled bitterly. _"And it'll stay there too. Hopefully I can destroy it all together someday."_

For the time being, her mind was on another, more pleasant idea.

In her uncle's studies of the head, he had also come across various other oddities and artifacts from the black market to shopping purchases in his travels out of the country. Not too long after he had obtained the beautiful head, he had come into the possession of a love potion.

At first Namie had dismissed it completely.

There was no such thing as potions, magic, fairies, etc. The vial of "potion" was filled with a cloudy, light pink liquid, like strawberry milk or melted ice cream. Not worth her notice or time at all.

Of course, the head had also once been put into the same category of useless, if not odd, curios. Namie hadn't spared it much thought until the day she had touched it with her own hands and discovered it's warmth, it's vitality. It was as if it was still alive.

 _"Izaya said it belongs to that courier."_ Namie recalled. _"She is a dullahan, a real fairy, a being that lives and moves without their head. If that's possible, than just maybe..."_

She was sitting at her desk, holding the plain glass bottle of potion in her hand carefully; she had no idea what was in it. The merchant who had sold it to the underground, who had sold it to her uncle, had never revealed what the ingredients were.

All her uncle was told was that for the supposed potion to work, it would need to be ingested with the DNA of the person using it to make someone fall in love with them.

It was crazy, foolish, but Namie was desperate. She would do anything to keep Seiji by her side, even if it meant inducing feelings in him that weren't natural. It was for the best at any rate; Namie knew he would never be happy with that girl or with the dismembered head. They would never, ever love Seiji the way she did, never sacrifice so much, never nearly ruin themselves to ensure his happiness and safety.

Namie smiled softly at the thought of her brother finally realizing it was she who truly loved him; she stared at the bottle contemplatively. She needed a plan; no doubt Mika Harima would find a way to sabotage her efforts. She didn't trust Namie.

 _"I just need to add something of me into this; but what? Hair, saliva, a piece of skin?"_ Namie wondered; she wanted it to be something with a romantic undertone. _"And how do I give this to him? I need to get Seiji alone, I don't want any chance of interference. Nothing must go wrong."_

Suddenly, the ringing of her phone disrupted her thoughts. Namie looked and was disappointed to find it was just her alarm going off, not a text or call from Seiji. She hadn't heard from him in so long.

 _"Damn that Izaya."_ Namie thought angrily. The alarm was to remind her to pick up more supplies and fresh groceries. She was now shopping for both Izaya and that Chihiro girl, who insisted Izaya help with the food bill.

 _"Well, at least I don't have to cook for him much anymore."_ Namie sighed and slipped the potion away in her own personal mini fridge under her desk. Izaya was actually pretty generous in accommodating her, something she resented. No doubt he did it for that very reason.

She hid the potion behind her own drinks of green tea and iced coffee and took off to finish her task. The sooner she was done, the sooner she could set her plan in motion. It was only a matter of time.

Perhaps an hour after she left, Izaya had entered the office with a frown. Chihiro had postponed dinner until he had brought his own food for her to cook, and he was disappointed to see Namie had not returned yet from her chore.

 _"I'm starving!"_ Izaya thought as he stretched out in his chair; he spun around idly and flipped through some papers and checked his messages, but Namie still hadn't returned.

 _"She had snacks in her fridge didn't she?"_ Izaya thought suddenly; he strolled over to the mini fridge and popped open the door with a smile. _"I'm sure she won't mind if I had something. If she wasn't so slow, I wouldn't have to steal her food."_

Sadly, all she had was cold cans of tea and coffee and half a candy bar.

 _"Hold on."_ Izaya peered behind a can of coffee and saw what looked like a bottle of strawberry milk.

 _"Chi-chan likes this."_ Izaya remembered; he picked up the bottle and smiled to himself smugly. _"If I bring her this, she might just make me something with her own food. I can't wait anymore."_

He left and a half hour after his departure, Namie had returned.

"Where is he?" Namie said in frustration. She looked all around the office, but there was no sign Izaya had been there. With a sigh of defeat, Namie put away the food and sat back down at her desk.

"Now, what to do about this-" Namie's words stopped dead when she looked into the mini fridge. The potion was gone.

"No." Namie said in a near whisper; her eyes grew wide and she felt the urge to pull at her hair. "No, no, no!" she cried; Namie searched through the fridge, pulling out cans and throwing them to the floor carelessly, but it was no use. The potion was gone, stolen.

 _"That girl."_ Namie's vision turned red. _"She said she had wiretaps and cameras everywhere. Could she really have them here? Does she know about the potion? Did she take it?!"_

Namie's thought grew frantic and she threw her coat back on before storming out of the office with a text to Izaya that she had brought the food.

Over at Chihiro's apartment, Izaya was blissfully unaware of Namie's dilemma.

"No thanks." Chihiro said as he offered her the strawberry milk.

Izaya frowned. "What, you think I put something in it?"

"Probably." Chihiro turned back to the countertop; she diced the garlic cloves savagely for the pasta she had to throw together. She was mad that, once again, Izaya was freeloading off her food; did he think a bottle of possibly drugged milk would make it better?

"Come on, don't you trust me by now?" Izaya asked innocently; he held out the drink, waving it under her nose. Chihiro batted his hand away and scowled.

"I'm not in the mood. You drink it if it's not poisoned."

"Fine, I will." Izaya uncapped the bottle and downed the milk in a minute; he grimaced slightly when he was done. Chihiro looked at him curiously.

"What is it spoiled-ow, shit!" she hissed; the tip of her finger was bleeding slightly where she cut the skin. Chihiro groaned in frustration. "Look what you made me do! I've never had an accident cutting food before!"

Izaya took her finger and put it in his mouth without further delay.

"Hey!" Chihiro exclaimed jerking her finger away from his lips; she turned her back on him to hide her blush. "What the hell?!"

Izaya smirked. "Saliva is suppose to heal cuts you know. I'm not sure whether it matters if it's your own or not….."

Chihiro raised an eyebrow; Izaya's voice sounded listless, much different from his sharp, pleasant tone.

"Izaya?"

Before she could say anything else, Izaya had collapsed to the floor at her feet. Chihiro dropped her knife and fell to the ground beside him.

"Izaya?!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Well, he's still breathing, so he's not dead." Shinra concluded as he looked over Izaya's unconscious body. "His pulse is normal. Are you sure he didn't just fall asleep?"

"Yes." Chihiro nodded her head; after she had gotten over her shock, she had driven Izaya to Shinra's apartment. "He just passed out on the floor in the middle of his sentence."

Celty approached Chihiro and put a hand on her shoulder before typing a message.

"Did Izaya seem to be acting odd or anything before passing out? Like he had the flu or was feeling sick?"

Chihiro shook her head. "No….right before he passed out he drank strawberry milk. He made a weird face though, like it didn't taste good." Chihiro frowned in concentration. "He was going to give it to me, but when I wouldn't take it, he drank some to prove it wasn't poisoned or anything."

"Strawberry milk?" Shinra asked. "Where did he get it from?"

"I don't know." Chihiro confessed; she rummaged through her bag and pulled out the bottle. There was a tiny bit of liquid still inside. "He downed the whole bottle; he obviously didn't know if anything was wrong with the milk, or he wouldn't have drank it all."

"That's not milk."

"Huh?" Chihiro looked at Celty in confusion.

"I'm not sure how to explain it." Celty typed carefully. "The thing is, I'm able to sense when….beings like me are around."

"You mean like other dullahans?"

"Pretty cool huh?" Shinra piped up with a grin. "Of course, Celty's the only dullahan that matters to me. The most beautiful, strong, sexy, feisty,-ow, Celty!"

Celty jabbed Shinra in the stomach once more before continuing.

"In short, I can sense things that aren't of this world. I'm not sure what that is, but it's not something made by a human." Celty finished. Chihiro stared down at the bottle in her hands.

Shinra's gaze became focused. "Then what is it? How did Izaya get something like this without even realizing it wasn't safe?"

Chihiro stared down at Izaya's face; he looked like he was sleeping peacefully.

"What can we do?" Chihiro asked.

Shinra shrugged. "How about we just try waking him up?"

"What?!" Shinra exclaimed defensively as Celty pinched his cheek. "I'm a regular doctor, not a witch doctor; I wouldn't know anything about supernatural concoctions."

"Can't you try to be a little more sensitive?" Celty typed and gestured to Chihiro; Shinra was surprised to see genuine worry etched across her face.

Chihiro bent over where Izaya laid on the couch.

"Izaya?" she shook his shoulder; to her surprise, his brow furrowed and his eyelids began to open.

"Wow, it worked?" Shinra said mildly. Celty would've rolled her eyes if she could.

"Chi-chan?" Izaya asked weakly; he opened his eyes and blinked at the bright light.

"Wow, you had me a bit worried." Chihiro chuckled in relief. "How are you feeling?"

"I-I…" Izaya trailed off; his gaze began to lose focus as he stared up at Chihiro. "What a way to wake up…."

Chihiro frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

Izaya smiled gently. "To wake up to a beautiful woman's face. Were you really worried about me?"

"Uh…." Chihiro looked at Shinra and Celty; Shinra's jaw was hanging open slightly and Celty had nearly dropped her PDA. "Yeah...you just passed out after drinking that stuff. Celty says it wasn't milk, that it was like, a potion or something. Izaya, are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"Yes. Why?"

"You're getting a bit too, um, close."

As she spoke, Izaya had been leaning closer and closer to Chihiro's face; she was currently backed onto the other end of the couch.

"I'm sorry." Izaya said drawing back suddenly; a blush spread to his cheeks. "Your voice is so...and your eyes, they….I can't even find words to describe how beautiful they are!"

"Celty, do you know what the hell was in that milk?" Chihiro said with a hint of panic in her voice.

"I'd have to say it was a love potion, at least from what I'm seeing." Celty could barely keep her shoulders from shaking in muffled laughter; it was all just too weird, too out of place, and it made her feel both amused and a tiny bit scared.

"This isn't funny!" Chihiro said; she pointed to Izaya, who was seemingly unaware of everything around him.

"Chi-chan?" Izaya said quietly. "Did-did I make you upset?"

His tone was so sad, so concerned, Chihiro immediately felt a bit guilty. "No, no, it's just-Izaya, where did you get that, um, milk from?"

Izaya shrugged and smiled blissfully. "Don't remember. Does it really matter?"

He crawled over to Chihiro with a dazed smile; she back away and fell off the couch.

"Chi-chan?!" Izaya rushed to her aid, practically lifting her into his arms. "You okay love?"

"Ouch. Yeah, I'm okay-" Chihiro froze in Izaya's hands. "What did you just call me?"

"I think he said 'love'." Shinra said helpfully.

Izaya nodded. "I love you Chi-chan. Do you not like that name? Maybe something like 'darling' or 'dearest'?"

"Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter." Izaya concluded, not noticing Chihiro's stunned face. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair. "Let's go home Chi-chan. I'm so tired, all I want to do is fall asleep in your arms."

"No way!" Chihiro snarled as she pushed him away, her face burning from embarrassment. "That's not happening!"

"Actually," Shinra cut in. "I think it might be best if Izaya stays with you Chihiro. Celty and I need to figure out the contents of this stuff," he held up the nearly empty bottle. "Izaya should be somewhere safe where he can't wander into danger. He's...not himself after all."

"He seems to be attached like glue anyhow." Celty added; Izaya had indeed gone back to clutch at an uneasy Chihiro. "Please, we want to help, but we need time to figure this out."

On the ride home, Izaya was positively clingy.

"Will you stop that?!" Chihiro swatted his hand away as he began to play with her hair once more.

"I'm sorry." Izaya sunk back into his seat with a sigh. "I just can't seem to keep my hands off you."

"Well, try."

"Anything you want darling."

Chihiro grimaced; when they finally arrived at her place, Izaya followed her all the way to her bedroom.

"Do you mind?" Chihiro asked sharply. "I need to change and get ready for bed."

"Chi-chan don't be silly." Izaya said with a chuckle. "You're my girlfriend, aren't you? There's no need to be shy."

"I said you could stay here, not that I was your girlfriend!" Chihiro tore away from his grasp. As she turned to glare at Izaya, her anger melted away at his hurt expression.

"Don't you love me?" Izaya questioned; he took her hand and placed his other one on her cheek, stroking it tenderly. He looked at her as if she was the only thing worthy of his attention.

Chihiro sighed in frustration and gently removed his hands. "Izaya, you don't understand. You drank something that made you...feel things for me. It's not real."

"Don't say that!" Izaya actually sounded upset. "Of course it's real. I can feel it pulsing through my veins. The sound of your voice alone is making me dizzy." he pressed his forehead to hers. "If you don't love me back yet, it's okay. I'll just have to win you over.

Chihiro was speechless.

"So, can I still stay here the night?" Izaya asked almost shyly. "I won't do anything, I swear. I just don't want to be away from you."

Chihiro pulled back with a blush; her heart was pounding, her palms sweaty. "Okay, fine. Just don't keep me up, I'm tired."

"Of course."

Chihiro laid beside Izaya hesitantly when she had returned from the shower; he smiled at her as she settled under the blankets.

"Goodnight Chihiro."

"Goodnight." she turned off the lamplight.

 _"It's just Izaya, remember?"_ Chihiro thought to herself. _"Annoying, sneaky, manipulative Izaya. These aren't real feelings, so there's no reason to get all worked up."_

Chihiro fell into an uneasy slumber.

" _Why am I being affected like this?"_


	3. Chapter 3

Celty was a bit more than shocked when she walked inside Izaya's office and saw him sitting on his desk with a bundle of roses.

"Celty!" Izaya greeted warmly. "Good morning. Now, what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?"

Celty's fingers fumbled on her keypad. "I wanted to ask Namie a few questions regarding that stuff you drank."

Namie was sitting at her own desk; the past hour she had to hold back throwing up in disgust at Izaya's cheerful, sunny attitude that was somehow making him proclaim his undying love for a girl.

As she read Celty's text, everything had suddenly fallen into place.

Izaya seemed completely unaware of his employee's distress. "Oh, I was about to ask Namie if she had picked up anymore strawberry milk. I need to get the groceries, Chihiro should be waking up soon and-"

"That wasn't milk you idiot!" Namie hissed. "That was a rare love potion, mine, and you stole it!"

Izaya looked guilty. "The milk was spoiled anyway if it makes you feel better."

Namie wanted to throttle him more than ever. "That wasn't milk!"

Her plan was ruined! Seiji was upset with her for interrogating Mika the other night and now her love potion, her real, actually effective love potion, was gone.

 _"Seiji should be the one buying roses for me."_ Namie thought; another woman might have broke down from the grief she was feeling, but Namie wouldn't dare in front of Izaya. Besides…

Namie smirked. "You know what? Fine then. Seiji will realize what's in his best interest with or without some potion."

Celty looked at her in surprise at the sudden change of heart.

"So it's yours? Do you have a antidote?"

Namie scoffed. "It was my dead uncle's, brought from his travels. I'm not saying anymore. I may not have my potion, but at least he's making a fool of himself."

They both glanced at Izaya, who was fingering the petals of each rose with a tender smile; he looked back at them and grinned widely.

"Won't Chi-chan just love these? I got different colors for different meanings. Maybe I should have gotten more though." Izaya laughed. "Not that any amount of flowers could put into words the depth of my love."

"Hm, yes." Namie commented. "I do think everything has worked out for the best."

"You better give me the info I need." Celty typed; she materialized a shadow scythe and wrapped the dark blade around Namie's neck. To her credit, she barely flinched.

"Tell me everything you know about this potion."

Namie frowned. "I don't know it's original name or even where exactly my uncle procured it from. He told me the street name for it was Cloud 9. Most people couldn't decide whether it was just an aphrodisiac or an honest to god potion at any rate."

Celty retracted the shadow and typed a message. "What's in it? Is there anymore? Is there a cure?"

Namie shrugged. "I haven't the slightest idea what's in it and that was the only bottle, as far as I know. My uncle never said anything about a cure; all he knew was that it needed to be ingested with human DNA."

"What do you mean?" Celty was feeling this story was about to get much more disturbing.

"All that's needed is a bit of the person who's giving another the potion." Namie explained apathetically. "Like a piece of hair, a bit of nail, a drop of blood."

Celty rushed over to Izaya. "What happened after you drank the strawberry milk? Were you with Chihiro?"

Izaya frowned sadly. "Yes, she was making me dinner; I distracted her and my poor darling cut her finger. I sucked on it to help it heal, but I think I may have made her uncomfortable."

"Great story." Namie chimed in; she turned to Celty with a careless shrug. "So, there you have it. All I know is that he stole from me and now he's paying for it. I think that sounds fair, don't you?"

"No. This isn't right." Celty turned her PDA to Izaya with a new message. "I'm going to do some research. You should get back to Chihiro's apartment and stick by her for now."

"Of course!" Izaya said. "I hope she's not up yet, I wanted to surprise her with breakfast in bed!"

He left the office leaving Celty and Namie to stare after him, both thoroughly unnerved.

 _"This is too much."_ Celty thought as she rode back to her and Shinra's apartment. To see Izaya so genuine, so love struck and sappy. It was more unnatural than anything else she had come across; and she had been alive for hundreds of years. She had to find out more about this Cloud 9 stuff. _"I hope Chihiro's going to be okay until then."_

Currently, Chihiro wasn't okay.

"Good morning." Izaya whispered sweetly. "I made breakfast. Come down when you're ready."

Chihiro sat up in bed as Izaya pranced out of her room; she felt a bit sick.

 _"This really is happening."_ Chihiro fixed her tangled hair and brushed her teeth, trying to fight back the dread welling up in her heart. _"What should I do? He won't listen to me; should I play along for now? I just have to keep an eye on him until this thing gets resolved."_

Chihiro took a deep breath as she stepped into the kitchen. _"You can do this. I've dealt with him for over two years now. What's the worst he can do?"_

"Hey beautiful." Izaya said smoothly as he set out plates.

 _"He's setting out the plates?!"_ Chihiro sat down with a bewildered expression as Izaya loaded her plate with fresh fruit, sausage links, and a perfectly made omelet.

"Chi-chaaaan!" Izaya whined. "I asked whether you wanted milk in your coffee."

"Uh, yeah sure." Chihiro said as he poured her drink. "You don't have to do all this, I can do it myself."

"I know." Izaya said simply before eating his own food.

It was a pleasant, yet awkward breakfast; Izaya repeatedly tried to feed Chihiro, and she repeatedly tried to keep from smacking the fork out of his hand. At the end of the meal, Izaya clapped his hands together in excitement.

"I almost forgot!"

He disappeared into the living room and reappeared with a huge bouquet of roses.

"They-they're beautiful!" Chihiro said breathlessly as she took the flowers.

"Do you really like them?"

"I love them." Chihiro said honestly, still marveling at the bouquet. "Why are they all different colors?"

"Have you heard of the language of flowers?" Izaya asked; Chihiro nodded her head, still a bit dazed.

"I was going to just get red, but I don't think it would've conveyed the message just right." Izaya explained; he sat next to Chihiro. He reveled in her undivided attention. "Red signifies romantic love and passion. White means reverence and purity, purple means love at first sight, and coral means desire."

Izaya's voice lowered softly. "Do you know what the pink means?"

Chihiro thought for a moment, trying to clear her head. "Doesn't it mean friendship?"

Izaya nodded. "Yes, but it also means that love is blooming. It also conveys a message that basically says, 'please believe me'."

Chihiro stared at the flower in confusion. "What does that mean?"

Izaya gently took her hand in his; his fingers traced the lines in her palm. His stare was quiet and burning into her own.

"What I'm trying to say, is that you have to believe me when I say I love you. Trust me when I say my feelings are genuine. I've never wanted something, someone, so badly before. I'm also hoping you will grow to love me."

 _"It actually feels like my heart is going to give out."_ Chihiro was split in two at the moment, having an internal battle, fighting to stay sharp.

She had to remember that this was all artificial, that none of it really meant anything. Yet, no one had ever looked at her with so much…..longing. Pure adoration. It was enough to make her feel faint and her head spin.

Chihiro tried to clear her head. _"Is this what Izaya's like when he's in love or is it all the potion? But...there's no real harm, right? I have to keep him preoccupied while Celty and Shinra get more info on the potion."_

Izaya let go of her hand. "I'll prove it to you. Let's go out on a date together. I'll make this the best day of your life."

His sharp, keen eyes pierced hers and Chihiro couldn't resist.

"Okay."

 _"Why do I feel so happy…..?"_


	4. Chapter 4

Shinra sat beside Celty as she typed away at her computer.

"Haven't found anything yet?"

Celty shook her head. "Actually, there's this occult chat group that keep talking about rumors of a genuine love potion. A few of them used the name Cloud 9, but I need to weed out the facts from the rumors."

Shinra peered over her shoulder to read the messages and adjusted his glasses. "Wow, in Norway they use a new born baby's eye? That sounds like it'd be hard to make into a liquid..."

"All the ingredients vary depending where the rumors start." Celty typed as she paused in scrolled down the pages. "One from Sudan says all you need is pink rosebuds crushed together with vinegar and vanilla. Someone from India says you need red wine, jelly, and sugar mixed with soda; it has to be brewed exactly at 1 AM under a half moon."

"That's pretty descriptive." Shinra said casually. "Should I give some of these a try?"

Celty paused a typed a brief message. "You don't need to."

"Celty! You make me the happiest man in the world! Let's go to our room and-ow! You know I don't mind it rough, but can't you at least wait-owowowow!"

Shinra rubbed his sore ear and stomach. "Okay, back to business. I don't understand it though, it doesn't seem like you have any solid leads. Anyone of these can be the potion."

"I'm narrowing down the choices." Celty replied. "Only so many mention the actual name and that you need to use a piece hair or blood for it to work."

"What are we going to do if we found a cure?"

"Give it to Izaya of course." Celty answered perplexed; that was the whole point of searching for one after all.

Shinra's smile was contemplative. "You know, maybe it's better this way."

"What?"

"What I mean, is that Izaya seems more….docile? Less trouble? Maybe it's better if we just let him stay this way." Shinra shrugged.

"We can't do that if there's a cure." Celty typed. "It's not right, it's not natural."

"Like how it isn't natural to be in love with a monster?" Shinra asked calmly.

Celty paused, her hand tightening on the PDA. "That's different. I fell in love with you without a potion or a spell. You, you're just naturally weird, no magic needed."

"Regardless, Izaya being in love with Chihiro may be the best thing for everyone. Or maybe it's not. I just think we should give this some thought, if there even is an antidote." Shinra said lazily. "I have an appointment to get to. Bye Celty, don't work too hard!"

Celty waved and was left alone at her desk.

 _"Is Shinra right? Izaya seemed so...nicer I suppose? Not the same person."_

Izaya was acting like any love struck young man would; he was acting like any other person would. When he spoke to her and Namie, there was no trace of his usual condescension or double meanings. Izaya just wanted to bring his "girlfriend" flowers.

Celty inwardly sighed. _"I'll think about that later. For now, let's just try to find out if there even is an antidote."_

Miles away, Izaya's "girlfriend" was internally freaking out.

 _"Calm down, calm down."_ Chihiro took deep breaths. _"It's not even a real date. We go places together all the time anyway."_

"Chi-chan, are you ready yet?" Izaya called from the living room; he lounged on the couch and sighed lightly. She was so gorgeous already, but to think she was making the extra effort for their first date.

 _"So cute!"_ Izaya hugged himself with a chuckle. He sat up as he heard Chihiro's footsteps coming the living room.

"Okay, I'm ready."

"Let's go!" Izaya smiled and held her hand tenderly.

"Where are we going?"

"I want to go somewhere special first." Izaya explained; he pulled Chihiro with him out the door. "After that, we can go get something to eat. The we'll see where the night takes us."

He have her a quick wink and suddenly she was feeling too warm in her jacket.

"Izaya," Chihiro asked after they had been walking for a bit. "Are we nearly there?"

"Almost, just a few more-"

Chihiro screamed as Izaya was sent tumbling to the ground by a trash can.

"Sorry about that." Shizuo walked up to her nonchalantly.

"Shizuo are you crazy?!"

He looked at her in surprise. "What's up with you?"

"Looks it's a long story." Chihiro explained hurriedly. "But Izaya isn't himself. I have to keep an eye on him for a while, so please, could you just go now before-"

"That wasn't very nice Shizu-chan." Izaya said smoothly; he was already up and walking over calmly to Chihiro.

Shizuo glared. "It's Shizuo Heiwajima, how many times do I have to say it?!"

"Sorry. Shizuo it is." Izaya turned away from Shizuo's confused face. "Chi-chan, let's go, we're nearly there."

"Wait a second." Shizuo said suspiciously. "That's it? No smart ass remarks, no knives, you're just gonna walk away?"

Izaya nodded happily. "Me and Chi-chan are on our first date!"

Chihiro's face practically burst into flames at Shizuo's blank expression.

"Hey, come on love, there's no need to be shy about it." Izaya said gently put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "Well, we'd better be off."

They left without another word, leaving Shizuo to gap in shock.

"What. The fuck."

"Here we are!"

"The park?" Chihiro asked regaining her senses.

"Yep." Izaya replied. He led her to the swing set; they sat down and Chihiro glared at him.

"Why would you bring me here?"

It was all too easy to remember that place where she realized what kind of person Izaya actually was. He had stolen a kiss from her for an experiment, and ever since that day, he wouldn't stop intruding in her life. It all began right here.

Izaya continued to smile. "This is the place where we had our first kiss. I'm just sorry it had to be under such unfortunate circumstances. I was hoping we could make a better memory now."

He leaned in and kissed Chihiro's cheek.

"I'm not pissed about it anymore I guess." Chihiro said wearily with a faint blush. "I just thought maybe you were trying to get a rise out of me."

"What? Chi-chan, I never want to upset you." Izaya insisted. "That's not the kind of person I am anymore."

 _"What kind of person are you now?"_ Chihiro wondered. This Izaya was the product of a potion; that wasn't to say the change was a bad thing. It was actually pretty nice, but something was bothering Chihiro and she couldn't quite figure out what.

"Chi-chan, did you know men fall in love faster than women?"

"Oh, I didn't know that."

"It's true." Izaya said. "I know first hand."

"Have you ever been in love before?"

"No."

Chihiro raised an eyebrow. "Well, how do you know you've fallen for me? I know they say the essence of romance is uncertainty, but you've got to have some idea."

"You read Oscar Wilde?" Izaya said delighted.

Chihiro shrugged sheepishly. "I got a book of his quotes for my birthday a few years ago, and when I ended up reading _The Picture of Dorian Gray,_ I got hooked. You know, the character kind of reminds me of you."

"How so?"

"You don't want to get older do you?" Chihiro questioned carefully. "You'd like to be young and live forever as you are."

"Yeah." Izaya suddenly smirked. "So, does that mean you think I'm good looking?"

"Hey, you never answered my other question." Chihiro protested.

"Your shyness is charming Chi-chan."

Izaya was silent for a few moments before turning to Chihiro with a small smile.

"The aim of love is to love; no more, no less. I don't mind if you don't love me yet, because I don't mind waiting forever."

"What if I never fall for you?" Chihiro asked quietly; she was a bit scared of his answer.

Izaya just chuckled and swung himself lightly on the swing. "If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life."

"Okay, okay, no more quoting, it's getting silly." Chihiro rolled her eyes playfully.

"I'm not joking."

Chihiro averted her gaze and feeling incredibly self-conscious; could he see her her cheeks burning, hear her heart beating at an insane pace?

"Want me to push you?" Izaya asked.

"No, I'm fine." Chihiro said, calming down slightly. "I'm a bit afraid of heights actually."

"You mean you're afraid of falling?" Izaya said with a teasing grin.

Chihiro smiled back wryly. "Yeah, pretty much."

They sat there for a while just talking.

 _"This is nice."_ Chihiro thought. _"I had no idea I could have a conversation with Izaya like this, no insults, no jibs. Just talking."_

She giggled in spite of herself at Izaya's joke and he gave her a relieved smile.

"Are you having a good time darling?"

"Yeah." Chihiro confessed shyly. "I'm getting a bit hungry though."

"Let's get lunch then." Izaya checked his phone and laughed loudly.

"What?" Chihiro asked.

"It's 4 PM."

Her eyes widened. "We were here that long?!"

Izaya nodded. "I suppose I should say, let's get dinner then."

 _"It felt like we were only talking a couple of hours."_ Chihiro was still amazed as she and Izaya had dinner together at Tsukitei. Chihiro had to talk Izaya out of going to Russia Sushi; she didn't want to run into anyone familiar and be peppered with awkward questions.

Izaya draped his arm over Chihiro's waist as they walked to his apartment. Well, second apartment; it was closer than Chihiro's and she was exhausted.

"You look tired." Izaya pushed a strand of hair behind her ear with a worried frown.

"Yeah, but it's the good kind." Chihiro said with a soft grin. "I had a great time Izaya, really."

Izaya ruffled her hair fondly. "You can stay over. Take a bath and get some rest."

"Yeah, okay."

They went inside his apartment and after Chihiro had taken a warm bath, she found her clothes were gone.

"Izaya?" Chihiro called out; he walked into the bathroom holding a t-shirt and boxers.

"These are clean." he said as Chihiro looked at him strangely. He was also staring at her strangely.

"What?"

Izaya's eyes were glazed over. "You're just wearing a towel…"

He walked over to her before she could close the curtain. "Don't hide, I won't do anything. I just want to be able to remember this image."

Chihiro scoffed. "Take a picture, it lasts longer."

"I didn't mean it!" she exclaimed as Izaya took out his phone.

"Aw." he pouted. "Okay."

He kissed her forehead and set the clothes down on the sink.

"Maybe later?" he grinned and closed the door before she could utter another curse.

Chihiro got dressed and entered the room across from the bathroom. Izaya was toweling off his own hair.

"Hey." Izaya laid back on the bed and waved her over. Chihiro sat down stiffly as his arms wrapped around her waist; she couldn't bring herself to pull away as he peppered kisses on the back of her neck.

"Chi-chan?"

Chihiro snapped out of her daze. "I think I should sleep in another room or something…"

"No." Izaya cooed. "I've wanted you here for such a long time."

"What, since yesterday?" Chihiro pried his hands away and sat on the opposite end of the bed.

"Longer." Izaya murmured as he crawled over to her. "Much longer…"

"I haven't actually gone all the way with anyone before you know." Izaya smiled and gazed down at Chihiro lovingly. "Never really wanted to until now."

"Then you shouldn't now!" Chihiro shot up from the bed. "Izaya, you shouldn't do that with just anyone. I waited until I was really in love to-"

"Well I'm in love." Izaya insisted with a sharp tone. "And I don't want to hear about you being with anyone else. I love you now and I'm the only one who matters, right?"

"Izaya…" Chihiro wanted to cry from the frustration; it wasn't fair.

He was being so wonderful, the whole day was like something out of a dream, and she actually wanted to stay with him for the night...but not like wasn't Izaya.

"This isn't real. The love potion you took is making you feel this way. You don't love me." Chihiro turned away from him firmly.

"So what?"

"What do you mean 'so what'?!" Chihiro demanded. "Doesn't it bother you that your feelings aren't actually your own?"

"But they are, at least they are now." Izaya said evenly. "I'm happy Chihiro, I mean that. I want to be with you and to be honest, I don't care if a potion made me feel this way."

He hugged her with a chuckle. "I think you have feelings for me, at least a little."

Chihiro couldn't look at him. "But this isn't who you actually are. It's all fake. I-I wish it wasn't, but-"

Izaya cupped her face in his hands and kissed her; it took a minute before Chihiro realized she was kissing him back.

"It's enough for me." Izaya pressed her down to the bed; he stroked her face. "How does that quote go?"

Chihiro said nothing as she gazed up at his face, his warm eyes, his loving smile.

Izaya nipped at her ear and whispered. "Ah yes, now I remember."

"I can resist everything except temptation."

"Izaya, let's wait okay? Chihiro said softly. "Um, I'm not sure if I'm ready for this yet."

"Aw alright." Izaya said as he laid down next to her with a cheeky grin. "But you have to let me hold you."

"...okay."

As comfortable as she was, Chihiro couldn't fall asleep just yet; she had nearly given into temptation herself.

 _"It wouldn't have been right."_ she thought firmly.

It didn't stop her from enjoying Izaya's arms around her as she finally drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

_"When did this turn into something so weird?"_ Chihiro wondered as she stared down at Izaya's face. She was surprised he was still asleep; he didn't sleep much at all, but she supposed even he got tired enough to sleep late now and then. It was already nearly noon.

She smiled to herself. _"Well, I guess I should say weirder than usual. I got used to that kind of weird though. I got used to Izaya being the weirdo he was, but this is just…"_

Chihiro sighed quietly. She didn't want him to wake up; he looked so innocent when he was asleep, no one would ever guess he was so twisted or devious.

 _"He's so kind and sweet now, way easier to get along with."_ Chihiro mused. _"If he stayed like this, maybe this could work. Maybe we could be more than what we were."_

 _"But what are we in the first place?"_ She asked herself; they weren't exactly friends, but they didn't hate each other. Chihiro found Izaya to be annoying and cold, and he saw her as boring and grouchy. They spent most of their time together, knew each other; Chihiro might have known more about him than most people could say they have.

 _"Izaya can't stand being ignored or pushed aside. He gets jealous and annoyed that people don't like him, but overall, he's fine with the life he's chosen. He loves humans. He's smart, attractive, and talented, but he's also irritating, unempathetic, manipulative, and sneaky."_ Chihiro smiled again; it was almost fond.

 _"Now he's normal, and I still feel like something isn't right."_

Chihiro didn't know why she was feeling this way, why she couldn't just be happy that Izaya was a more well adjusted person. They could be friends now, she didn't have to put her guard up around him.

 _"If there is an antidote, what should I do?"_ Chihiro wished she could just fall back into a peaceful sleep and forget all of this ever happened, that Izaya had never changed and the world wasn't as confusing as it had become.

Izaya yawned and opened his eyes; he smiled and sighed happily as he looked up at Chihiro.

"Morning."

"Same to you." Izaya nuzzled Chihiro's neck.

She giggled and pushed him away. "Hey, stop!"

Izaya grinned deviously. "I didn't know you were ticklish…"

"Don't you dare." Chihiro warned.

"I won't." Izaya said. "For now."

Chihiro laid back down with a sigh and Izaya looked down at her with concern.

"Chi-chan, is everything okay?"

"Yeah."

"I know you're lying." Izaya smiled. "You can tell me if something's bugging you."

Before Chihiro could say a word, her cell phone was ringing on the nightstand; she looked at the ID. It said Shinra was calling; Chihiro's stomach twisted in nervousness as she put the phone to her ear.

"Shinra?"

"Hey, hope everything's going okay with Izaya." Shinra's voice was casual, but there seemed to be a carefulness in his tone.

"He's okay, still not himself, but he's okay." Chihiro said as Izaya blew her a kiss.

"Good." Shinra's tone turned brisk. "Look, Celty found some information on the potion. It's called Cloud 9, and we're pretty sure we've found the antidote. There's just one problem."

Chihiro's stomach knotted up tighter. "What?"

"Only you can give it to him and cancel out the effects."

"Well, what exactly do I have to do?" she asked impatiently.

"It's pretty straightforward." Shinra explained. "You have to let him drink some more of your blood, preferably from the same cut as the first time."

Chihiro glanced involuntarily at her finger. "That's all, huh?"

"It should work."

There was silence from Chihiro's end of the line for some time; she didn't know what to say.

"Chihiro, me and Celty wouldn't blame you if you decided not to do it." Shinra said calmly. "For all intents and purposes, it's your decision. Let Celty know what happens, whatever you do. She's worried for you, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks…"

Chihiro hung up; she wasn't sure what she felt. Izaya had been listening in on the conversation.

"Do you want to?"

"I don't know." Chihiro felt her eyes sting.

"I already told you," Izaya said easily as his arms wrapped around her comfortingly. "I'm happy this way, everyone is. There's no reason to do anything about it."

"Yes, there is." Chihiro said almost to herself. "The thing is, you were happy the way you were."

Chihiro had come to the realization she had been on the edge of: Izaya was not a monster, not a villain out of a show, at least not to himself. He was not a supernatural being or an omnipotent entity. He was simply a person, living his life the way he wanted to, even if it brought him and others trouble. The real Izaya would never want this.

 _"I want Izaya to be who he is, even if it isn't who he should be."_ Chihiro thought. _"That's who he is, and I guess I'm okay with that. Huh. When did that happen?"_

She turned to him with a sad, pleading smile. "Izaya, do you really love me?"

"Yes." Izaya said immediately, as if the words were ingrained in his soul.

"Then you'd do anything to make me happy, right?"

"Anything."

Chihiro nodded in acceptance. "Than you understand why I have to do this."

She took a thumb tack lying carelessly in one of the table's drawers; she grimaced as she pricked her nearly healed finger.

"Chihiro, please!" Izaya said; his eyes were wide and he looked as if she were about to stab him with the thumb tack. "I don't want to stop feeling this way. I love you!"

"Don't you get it yet? This isn't who you are, and while the normal you pisses me off, you are who you are. I want you to be happy." Chihiro explained. "I won't be happy if you can't be the person you were, if you're under a spell that you never actually wanted."

She placed a hand on his cheek. "If you want, I'll still be here for you. Even if you bug me, even if you're just a plain asshole, it doesn't mean I hate you. I guess craziness is contagious." Chihiro chuckled humorlessly. She grew somber as Izaya just stared at her forlornly.

"Chi-chan, is this really what you want?"

"Yes."

"Can you do me one favor then?" Izaya asked quietly looking down at his hands.

Chihiro nodded and smiled kindly. "Sure, what is it?"

His eyes shined as he stared into her own; Chihiro never wanted to forget how he looked at her, as if she was everything and then some.

"Tell me," he paused and let out a shuddered breath. "Tell me just once that you love me. If you do that, I'll do anything you ask."

Chihiro leaned over and kissed his forehead chastely.

"I love you Izaya."

"No you don't." Izaya said with a small smile of gratitude. _"But thanks for saying it."_

Chihiro felt tears come to her eyes, though she couldn't decide whether she was happy or heartbroken.

Izaya took her bleeding finger and placed it into his mouth without another word.

Chihiro studied him carefully. Izaya slowly let go of her finger after a full minute.

"Izaya?"

"...yeah?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Not bad." Izaya smiled, but it wasn't a smile. It was a mask, an illusion, a front.

"But do you still-?" Chihiro couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.

"No." Izaya said firmly; his tone cut through her like a blade.

"It worked then." Chihiro gave him a half smile and rose from the bed. "I'm going to change, okay?"

Izaya didn't say a word as she went into the bathroom and put on her own clothes. Chihiro took the shirt and boxers to the laundry hamper by the door and picked up her phone off the nightstand; she did all this very quietly, secretly worried Izaya would lose it and throw her out or something.

Her hand was on the doorknob when he finally spoke up.

"Leaving are you?"

Chihiro stared at him in confusion. "Don't you want me to?"

Izaya shrugged. "I don't really care either way. This little episode didn't mean anything. You know that."

"Yep, you're definitely back to normal." Chihiro gave him a weak smile and rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the ache in her chest. "Bye."

"See you around?"

Chihiro paused at the door.

"Yeah."

She left without looking at him.

Izaya laid back down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling.

 _"How anti-climatic."_ he mused. _"Everything's back to how it was, just like that."_

He continued to lay there and unconsciously inhaled Chihiro's lingering scent on the pillow case.

 _"She kissed me. She kissed me and said she loved me. What a joke."_

Izaya glared at the pillow and picked it up by the tips of his fingers.

 _"Dammit. I couldn't be more humiliated."_ he sulked thinking of Namie smirking at his behavior, the insults that Shizuo would no doubt hurl at him the next time they encountered one another, the way Chihiro had balked at his words and blushed and laughed and smiled and tasted, and-

"Stop." he ordered himself.

Izaya breathed in and out slowly to calm himself; there was no reason to get worked up. It didn't mean anything.

 _"Why was she sad earlier?"_ he wondered as he laid the pillow back on the bed. _"She said she wanted me to be happy. Why would she say that? She seemed to be enjoying herself. She didn't hate me..."_

"Women are to be loved, not understood." Izaya recalled the famous quote with a burst of giddiness.

Izaya flung himself back down on the mattress and laughed; he wanted to punch something.

 _"How interesting..."_


	6. Chapter 6

It had only been a month since the love potion incident, but to Chihiro, it felt much longer. She had not heard or seen Izaya once since then.

To Izaya, everyday felt as if it had just happened yesterday. The memories replayed in his mind throughout the day, the words he had spoken with no restraint, and every time he recalled the incident, he felt like kicking himself.

 _"Damn everything."_ Izaya smiled as he revolved the pieces of his game board. Kings, queens, knights, pawns….where did she fit into all this?

 _"No where."_ Izaya decided as he flipped over the set with a wide grin.

He had almost lost himself, lost his whole way of life, the thing that made him who he was. Chihiro gave it back to him, but it didn't help, it just made everything more confusing.

Izaya clenched his fists as he stared down at the broken game board.

 _"She did this. She ruined everything."_

All his plans, his goals, his being, everything was falling apart; it was all her fault.

 _"It wasn't supposed the ever go that far."_ Izaya frowned; but it had. He had sworn his love, held her, kissed her with a passion he didn't even knew he had, promised her the moon, made an ass out of himself, and she had smiled at him so beautifully.

There relationship was a controlled one, he knew where they stood. At least, he thought he knew.

He was fine with her hate, fine if she was annoyed, content with her tolerance, but this way beyond anything he had expected. Normally a situation like this would have thrilled him; it was nothing short of exhilarating to see such an unexpected change, an unpreceded reaction, a undetermined response.

"I've waited long enough." Izaya stood up abruptly and slammed his door shut as he left.

Namie stared after him apathetically and returned to her paperwork.

"Izaya!?" Chihiro exclaimed as he burst through her door. "Uh, long time no see."

Izaya pulled her with him to the living room without a word or a glance at her face; she yanked her arm from his grip with a bewildered expression.

Chihiro stood in front of him, folding her arms in front of her chest. "Hey, what the hell's up with you? I don't even hear from you for a month, and you think you can just barge in with no warning?"

"You have some explaining to do." Izaya said lightly; he wore a benevolent smile, but his eyes were narrow and sharp. "Why did you give me the antidote?"

"Are you kidding me?" Chihiro asked incredulously. "That's the first thing you say? And why the hell are you just showing up now?!"

"I was busy." Izaya said dismissively. "Just answer the question."

"No."

Chihiro held open her front door. "Look, just leave if you're going to be like this."

Izaya rushed forward and slammed the door; he pinned Chihiro to the now closed door and smirked.

"You weren't saying this stuff the last time we were together."

"That doesn't matter now." Chihiro fought back the pain in her chest and stood her ground. "Get out or give me a nonbullshit reason for going MIA. You can't just come in here and act-"

"I couldn't face you."

Izaya lowered his arms and pressed his forehead against Chihiro's shoulder; he listened to her slow breathing. She didn't say a word.

"Why didn't you let me stay that way?" he asked quietly. "You're always saying how annoying I am. You said you liked me that way."

"But that wasn't you Izaya. I couldn't sleep knowing you were under somethings control. It just wasn't right."

Izaya looked up tried to smile. "Oh really? That's all?"

Ah, so it was because of her conscience, her morals.

Chihiro nodded and smiled nonchalantly. "I don't mind you much the way you are anyhow."

Izaya frowned. "That's rare."

"What?"

Someone actually liking him, despite and because of who he was. Someone who knew him, someone who accepted him. It was nearly as unnerving as ceasing to exist.

It was also going to make things harder from now on.

Izaya's easy smile fell back into place and he stepped away from Chihiro.

"So, you admit you did have feelings for me though?"

Chihiro scowled. "Well, it was easy when you weren't going off on rants and being a dick."

"I'm sorry Chi-chan, if I made you uncomfortable." Izaya said with a half smile.

Chihiro shrugged. "Hey, forget about it. I have to admit, you made a decent pretend boyfriend. Oh, here-"

She went over to one of her shelves and pulled out a DVD.

Izaya took it and examined the cover.

" _The Picture of Dorian Gray_?"

Chihiro smiled. "It's the 1945 version. Thought we'd watch it whenever you got back from where ever."

She was waiting for him.

"Sounds fun."

Izaya found it very hard to concentrate that night.


End file.
